Journal of Professional Nursing

In Celebration of Florence Nightingale: 2010 as The Year of the Nurse

Ellen Olshansky — 2010-07-01

This year has been designated as the 2010 International Year of the Nurse, in remembrance and celebration of the pioneering and visionary work of Florence Nightingale, who died 100 years ago. Nightingale lived until the age of 90 years, dedicating her life to nursing and health care. Known as “the lady with the lamp,” attending to and caring for victims of the Crimean War, Nightingale was also an environmentalist and a statistician. She emphasized the need to modify the environment to create positive health effects on patients. She was a scientist, concerned with data and evidence. She clearly was ahead of her time, envisioning nursing as an evidence-based health care discipline that must be concerned with the environment, both locally and globally. Specifically, Nightingale saw the need to create healing environments and she referred to the concept of “health nursing,” reflecting a focus on health promotion and disease prevention (2010 International Year of the Nurse Web site: http://www.2010iynurse.net/Florence_Nightingale.aspx).

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing Launches First National Centralized Application Service for Students Seeking Entry Into Schools of Nursing

2010-07-01

Analysis of Academic Programs: Comparing Nursing and Other University Majors in the Application of a Quality, Potential and Cost Model

Kathy Booker, Cheryl Hilgenberg — 2010-07-01

Nursing is often considered expensive in the cost analysis of academic programs. Yet nursing programs have the power to attract many students, and the national nursing shortage has resulted in a high demand for nurses. Methods to systematically assess programs across an entire university academic division are often dissimilar in technique and outcome. At a small, private, Midwestern university, a model for comprehensive program assessment, titled the Quality, Potential and Cost (QPC) model, was developed and applied to each major offered at the university through the collaborative effort of directors, chairs, deans, and the vice president for academic affairs. The QPC model provides a means of equalizing data so that single measures (such as cost) are not viewed in isolation. It also provides a common language to ensure that all academic leaders at an institution apply consistent methods for assessment of individual programs. The application of the QPC model allowed for consistent, fair assessments and the ability to allocate resources to programs according to strategic direction. In this article, the application of the QPC model to School of Nursing majors and other selected university majors will be illustrated.

Development and Use of a Tool to Guide Junior Faculty in Their Progression Toward Promotion and Tenure

2010-07-01

Junior faculty have multiple roles and need to participate in a variety of activities that increase their likelihood of achieving promotion and tenure. Yet, these faculty often struggle when deciding how and when to expend effort along their career trajectory. In response to the need for structured guidance when setting priorities and making decisions about time management, faculty from a school of nursing at a research university have developed and begun to use a faculty progression tool. Introduced during orientation, this tool helps junior faculty weigh the relative importance of engaging in specific activities by offering a time frame and suggestions for prioritizing and pacing efforts to accomplish critical milestones. Although primarily aimed at tenure stream faculty in a research-intensive environment, this faculty progression tool serves as a model that may be modified for environments with less focus on research. Likewise, it may provide a foundation for development of a similar tool for nontenure stream faculty.

Integrating the Institute of Medicine Competencies in a Baccalaureate Curricular Revision: Process and Strategies

Mary T. Hickey, Maryann Forbes, Sue Greenfield — 2010-07-01

Serious deficiencies in the quality of patient care and safety, rapid changes in the health care environment, and technological advances have collectively influenced an urgent call for health professions education reform. The Institute of Medicine (2003) has proposed a set of five core competencies that all health care professionals should possess and has recommended that these be used as an overarching vision for all health care professional education in the 21st century. These competencies have been incorporated into the newly revised American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Essentials of Baccalaureate Education document (2008).The purpose of this article is to describe the process of a recent baccalaureate curricular revision at one School of Nursing that used the Institute of Medicine competencies as part of an innovative framework to create a new curriculum. Strategies to incorporate newly recommended student competencies while preventing content overload are presented. The change process and implications for nursing education are explored. Finally, lessons learned with recommendations for nurse educator colleagues who are undertaking the challenge of curricular revision are discussed.

The Research Program Coordinator: An Example of Effective Management

Lisa Merry, Anita J. Gagnon, Julia Thomas — 2010-07-01

Careers in clinical research management are increasingly common. Despite nurses' important role in clinical research, their status as research professionals is underrecognized. In this article, we describe the role of a “program coordinator” (PC) in the context of a complex research program on migration and reproductive health. The PC role expands beyond the usual role of a research coordinator because he or she is involved in all aspects of the program of research and his or her responsibilities include research, education, clinical, and administration components. He or she ensures optimal organization and continuity across several studies and ensures ethical and scientific standards are applied for each individual study. His or her clinical knowledge assures data are accurate and subjects are safe. In addition, he or she assists with applying for funding, the maintenance of research partnerships, and dissemination of research findings; he or she supports students' learning and completes all regulatory aspects related to the program of research. Key to the PC role is relationship building and the application of Good Clinical Practice principles. The advanced role of a PC also warrants opportunities for professional development and a competitive salary. A PC is an effective approach for research management and a natural role for professional nurse.

Determinants of the Accuracy of Nursing Diagnoses: Influence of Ready Knowledge, Knowledge Sources, Disposition Toward Critical Thinking, and Reasoning Skills

Wolter Paans, Walter Sermeus, Roos Nieweg, Cees van der Schans — 2010-07-01

The purpose of this study was to determine how knowledge sources, ready knowledge, and disposition toward critical thinking and reasoning skills influence the accuracy of student nurses' diagnoses. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine the influence of knowledge sources. We used the following questionnaires: (a) knowledge inventory, (b) California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, and (c) Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT). The use of knowledge sources had very little influence on the accuracy of nursing diagnoses. Accuracy was significantly related to the analysis domain of the HSRT. Students were unable to operationalize knowledge sources to derive accurate diagnoses and did not effectively use reasoning skills.

Factors Influencing Professionalism in Nursing Among Korean American Registered Nurses

Yeoun Soo Kim-Godwin, Hee Chong Baek, Christine A. Wynd — 2010-07-01

Although significant numbers of foreign nurses are currently employed in the United States, little research about nursing professionalism exists for this population. The study assessed the levels of professionalism and examined factors associated with professionalism among Korean American registered nurses (RNs). Hall's Professionalism Inventory (HPI) scale was used for this correlational descriptive study. Data were collected, using a mailing survey, with a convenience sample of Korean American RNs living in the United States (n = 221). Current position in nursing, current employment status, work setting, total years of nursing experience, total years of nursing experience in the United States, location of final degree attainment, and duration of nursing education in the United States were associated with the level of professionalism among Korean American RNs. Variables predicting professionalism included membership in professional organizations (β = .204, P < .000) and total years of nursing experience in the United States (β = .198, P = .001), and they accounted for 8.6% of the total variance in the HPI score. The findings suggest that multiple internal and external factors are associated with professionalism among Korean American RNs and provide an understanding of trends in professionalism from an international perspective.

Choosing a Publication Venue

Lynne P. Lewallen, Patricia B. Crane — 2010-07-01

The choice of a venue for publication of a manuscript is rarely a clear-cut decision. Several factors should be considered in this decision, such as the audience for whom you are writing, the topic of the manuscript, the purposes for which you are writing, and the journal guidelines. These factors may vary in importance to the author. Examining each factor and plotting the importance visually on a checklist will assist the author in making the decision about where a manuscript should be submitted so that the article will have the desired impact.

2010-07-01

Editorial Board

2010-07-01

Information for authors

2010-07-01

Journal of Professional Nursing

In Celebration of Florence Nightingale: 2010 as The Year of the Nurse

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing Launches First National Centralized Application Service for Students Seeking Entry Into Schools of Nursing

Analysis of Academic Programs: Comparing Nursing and Other University Majors in the Application of a Quality, Potential and Cost Model

Development and Use of a Tool to Guide Junior Faculty in Their Progression Toward Promotion and Tenure

Integrating the Institute of Medicine Competencies in a Baccalaureate Curricular Revision: Process and Strategies

The Research Program Coordinator: An Example of Effective Management

Determinants of the Accuracy of Nursing Diagnoses: Influence of Ready Knowledge, Knowledge Sources, Disposition Toward Critical Thinking, and Reasoning Skills

Factors Influencing Professionalism in Nursing Among Korean American Registered Nurses

Choosing a Publication Venue

Table of contents

Editorial Board

Information for authors